Venus Aerospace unveiled the Venus Detonation Ramjet 2000 lb Thrust Engine, also known as “VDR2” marking a major breakthrough in aerospace technology. Velontra is building the engine’s host hypersonic space plane the Stargazer M4. The Stargazer M4 is Earth’s first hypersonic, reusable aircraft. No one has ever built a hypersonic platform that makes two-hour global transport cost-effective. Until now.
source-image: Venus Aerospace
Leveraging the Venus RDRE Ramjet, this vehicle will accelerate from taxi to cruise speeds of Mach 4 at 110,000 feet with a top speed capable of Mach 9. Combining technologies allows both Venus Aerospace and Velontra to take tangible steps toward their shared vision of unlocking the high-speed flight economy in the commercial and defense sectors.
Introducing the VDR2 Engine and Stargazer M4
source-image: Venus Aerospace
Up to 12 passengers can cruise at an altitude of 110,000 feet, in contrast to the approximately 38,000 feet a normal commercial plane cruise. They can also witness the ethereal curvature of the earth.
source-image: Venus Aerospace
- Faster: Mach 4 Cruise
- Farther: Up to 5,000 Miles
- Cleaner: Half the Emissions
- Sooner: Arriving 2030s
source-image: Venus Aerospace
This advanced propulsion system is engineered to power high-speed vehicles, including drones and aircraft, allowing them to travel vast distances at high altitudes and reach high-Mach speeds with unmatched efficiency. The VDR2 engine can power a commercial vehicle with speeds from Mach 4 to Mach 6 and with over 5000 miles of range.
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The VDR2 combines the high thrust and efficiency of the Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine (RDRE) with the high efficiency cruise of a Ramjet.
This offers a single engine from take-off to as fast as Mach 6, with a streamlined airflow design for low drag, and eliminates the need for complex mechanical components. The VDR2 will take flight in Venus’ hypersonic flight test drone in 2025.
